Cliché
by mademoiselle anna
Summary: Sakura and Neji stuck in a cliché.
1. one

Cliché

By anna

_All general disclaimers apply_

**Experiment: **None

_one_

--

"_You know I'm in love with you, so it's difficult to watch you cry to me about another man, but for tonight, and tonight only, I'll be your friend," _

_She scoffed, it was such a cliché. _

--

Sakura gathered her belongings and waved good byes to a few of her patients. She looked up at the clock, noting that it was near dinner time, and she hadn't prepared dinner yet. Not that it mattered much; Sakura had not ventured in the kitchen for the last two years. It was a job that Mizuka had picked up ever since she started working for the pink haired medic. By the time Sakura got back to the Hyuuga residence, a hot dinner would be waiting; it was an arrangement that worked out fabulously well.

As she neared the household, the aroma of perfectly cooked fish entered her nostrils. The pretty woman smiled, Mizuka had certainly outdone herself this time. She slipped out of the white hospital coat and put on an apron that was too frilly for her tastes. A brilliant smile immediately plastered on her face when she heard footsteps on the porch.

"You're smiling," Neji said as he closed the door behind him.

"I thought you were the gardener," she said coldly, gesturing for him to sit down.

"A bit old don't you think? If you're going to conduct an affair behind my back, it would do my reputation well if you would find someone more fitting," he suggested indifferently, "the milkman is a better choice,"

"Been there, done that,"

Silence consumed them again as they sat down in front of their sumptuous repast. It was always like this, words were seldom exchanged during a meal and the heavy atmosphere wasn't foreign. Small clinks of the knives and forks echoed through the large room.

"I want you to come to the Anbu meeting next week," Neji said simply.

She nodded in understanding, it wasn't an unfamiliar request. As the Anbu Captain, Neji was expected to have a certain image, and married to one of the most beautiful women in the village was just part of the package. Their marital friction was irrelevant in this world full of bondage.

After their meal, Neji opted to start his paperwork; it was the most daunting task of being the captain. Inside the beautiful bedroom, he could clearly hear the maids bustling about, cleaning up the dining room table. He was finally able to concentrate on his work when they retired back to the maid's quarter. Half way through the report, the irritating sounds of knocking made him stop again. Neji waited impatiently when the door began to creak open tentatively.

"Neji-sama," a young maid said, her head bowed down.

"What is it," the Hyuuga asked curtly.

"It's your wife…"

"What about Sakura," he asked indifferently, although he already knew.

"She… she's drowning,"

He calmly got up to exit the room, brushing past the maid unsympathetically. Neji walked along the long corridor and stopped at a large door, he clasped his hand on the doorknob and entered. The bathroom was brightly lit with large candelabras, a painting of the Hyuuga estate hung firmly against the wall. His hand reached for a green towel and approached the bathtub.

The soft scent of blossoms filled the room, and small pink bubbles were still floating above the deep bathtub. Sakura was completely submerged and the water made her hair fan out like a beautiful pink halo. His eyes glided over her naked body and rested on the faint scar under her left breast. She had accumulated it during a mission with him two years ago, a few months after their wedding. Neji's hand reached for a low chair and sat beside the bathtub. He crouched down and slowly pulled his wife back up, he was used to this kind of scenario as it often happened. She would be utterly exhausted after a day at the hospital, and fall asleep during her bath.

"Get up, you're annoying," he commanded and lifted her upward until she was no longer underwater.

Neji clicked it tongue in irritation when his fingers came intertwined with her glorious pink hair. It was no longer spread around her face like a halo, but clung to his fingers messily. He sighed and reached for the shampoo nearby and squirted a generous amount onto his palm. The Anbu began to lather it onto her hair until the soapy liquid turned to bubbles.

"I thought you said I annoy you," Sakura opened her beautiful green eyes and whispered.

"You're my wife, I'm supposed to be annoyed by you, it's your job and I respect it," he muttered and opted to continue to work on her hair.

He proceeded to wash the soap, the warm water cascaded down her long hair and fell into his open palm. Neji reached for the green towel on his lap and began to squeeze out the water. Sakura played absentmindedly with the bubbles and began to scrutinize her small fingers in great details.

"They're pruny," she said simply.

"You've been in here for too long," her husband answered and with a quick movement of the arms, he scooped her up and carried her back to their bedroom effortlessly.

"You shouldn't be too good to me, I just might fall in love with you," she muttered as he lay her down on the soft comforter.

"You would never make a silly mistake like that," he said dryly and sat on his own bed.

Neji reached out for the lamp that was located in between their two beds, with a few hushed goodnights, the light vanished from the room. For two years, the Hyuuga couple never slept on the same bed.

--

The entire medical ward was buzzing with the news. Shizune rolled her eyes as she walked past the gossiping interns. The two nurses laughed carelessly as they whispered to each other about some new piece of rumor. Shizune had to push her way to her office and muttered hatefully, her eyebrows knotted with irritation.

"Sakura! Do you know what this hospital is becoming? A circus!" she screamed at the pink haired woman.

Sakura looked up from the paperwork she was working on and tilted her head in slight mystification.

Shizune sighed at the obvious confusion of her colleague. She ambled over to the desk and sat down on the edge.

"Anbu just received a new addition and the word on the street is that she is gorgeous,"

Sakura nodded passively and opted to pick up her pen again. The woman opposite of her groaned and forcibly withdrew the pen from her. Sakura looked up in astonishment.

"What do you want?" she sighed, and asked in resignation.

"Aren't you even a bit worried?"

"About what?" the pretty medic asked.

"Neji was specifically assigned as her guardian," Shizune said, her eyes widened as though it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"So?"

"Aren't you worried?"

"If you're talking about an affair, you don't have to worry. Neji can sleep with whomever he wants to," Sakura answered and withdrew another pen from her white coat.

Shizune slapped her forehead, her face distorted with both annoyance and frustration. But before she gave Sakura a piece of her mind, the door creaked opened. Shizune and Sakura both looked up, before them stood a beautiful woman. Her blue eyes scanned the office and landed on Sakura, whom she looked up and down with interest.

"May we help you?" Shizune asked, her arms placed securely against her waist.

"My name is Misao, I am here for my check up prior to entering the Anbu," she said

"So you're the newbie,"

Misao smiled haughtily, her red lips parted slightly to reveal her perfect white teeth.

"Hopefully I won't be once Neji-kun is through with me,"

Shizune lifted an eyebrow and stole a surreptitious glance at her colleague. She grumbled slightly in disappointment when Sakura's expressions appeared unchanged. The pink haired woman stood up and walked coolly to the Anbu.

"Why don't you wait for me in room 509, I'll be in for your check up shortly," Sakura said amiably and opened the door.

Once Misao exited, Shizune plopped herself down on the leather chair.

"I don't like her," she said simply.

Sakura nodded lightly, "I have a shovel,"

"I have a backyard," the dark haired medic nonchalantly.

With a small smile, Sakura exited the office and followed her patient to the aforementioned room.

--

All the attention was on her and she appeared to be bathing in pleasure. Misao stood close to Neji as he introduced her to the team, her hand brushed lightly on his.

"I would like to introduce you all to Misao Sakana, I ask you all to give her your guidance," he said stoically, and brushed her hand off of his coolly.

In the back row, Tenten scrunched her nose in disgust at the blatant display of seduction. This new woman was gorgeous and had legs that extended forever. Her dark blue eyes were fastened on the handsome Anbu, they scanned his body hungrily.

"Honestly, how can Sakura be so indifferent let that woman ogle or husband like so," Tenten muttered to Ino, who nodded in agreement.

Tenten muttered incoherently but opted to stop talking when people began to leave. She shot one last look at her former teammate and begrudging left the room. Neji was left behind to gather up his paperwork. The new woman lingered behind and she too, began helping him.

"Thank you Sakana-san, but I got it," Neji said politely.

The new Anbu laughed loudly, her body twisted strategically, giving the Hyuuga an eyeful of her delicious assets.

"Since you're supposed to help me adjust to life in the Anbu, how about giving me some advice over coffee?"

Neji lightly pushed the woman off of him and glanced at her coolly.

"I'll see you at the next meeting Sakana-san,"

She blew softly on her bangs in resignation, "You will see me Neji-kun,"

With a huff of indignation, Misao clutched her bag and left.

"And here I thought that you're only cold toward me,"

The Hyuuga lifted his head and noticed a pretty woman standing not far from him. The light shining through the glass landed on her hair, giving her an ethereal look. Sakura's lips were curved in a soft smirk.

"I don't discriminate," her husband answered simply, he walked briskly toward her and grasped her hand.

"You're such a heartbreaker," Sakura said as she allowed herself to be pulled along.

"Listen well woman, you're the only person I won't hurt. But that privileged does not extend to everybody else,"

"Be careful husband, lines like that could give people the wrong impression that you care about me," she warned, her hand instinctively squeezed his tighter.

"I can't let that happen," Neji smirked and let go of her hand.

tbc.


	2. two

Cliché

By anna

_All general disclaimers apply_

_two_

_--_

_"I love you enough to let you, but do you love me enough to stop," _

--

Sakura was lying on her bed and staring at the ceiling. Not far from her, Neji was doing his usual roundup of work. The medic bore holes into his back and sighed when she found that, contrary to the rumors from love-struck nurses, despite all the defined lines of muscle, his back was uninteresting. She tilted her head, letting the pink strands fall over her shoulder sensuously.

"Hey Neji, guess what?" she asked, a sense of urgency laced in her voice.

"What?" came a listless reply.

"Tomorrow is the grand opening of that pastries store down the street,"

"Oh?"

Sakura rolled her eyes and turned her body away from him when she realized that Neji had refused to be her source of entertainment. Sensing his wife's boredom and her need for small talk, the Hyuuga tried to muster up a few tidbits of news.

"A Mist village kunoichi was transferred into our Anbu," he said, hoping that it would entertain her enough to leave him alone for his work.

"I heard she was gorgeous," Sakura said, her fingers playing with her hair absentmindedly, "And that she has taken a liking to you,"

"Naruto suggested that I should disappoint her,"

"That shouldn't be hard, just marry her,"

--

Sakura sighed and realized she had forgotten her lunchbox again. The medic shook her head and averted her attention back to the paperwork in front of her. The name Misao Sakana written in perfect handwriting glared back at her. Sakura picked up her pen and scribbled a few notes, and as if on cue aforementioned woman entered the medic's office.

"Sakana-san," Sakura acknowledged.

"Shizune said that you wanted to see me," the Anbu said, her sapphire eyes met emerald.

Sakura nodded and gestured to the paperwork passively, "I finished documenting your medical records, the only thing left is for your officer in charge's signature,"

The pretty woman's lips curved into a delicious smile, "I'll make sure to give it to Neji-kun,"

The minute the Anbu left, a young intern entered and notified Sakura about a case awaiting her attention. For the nth time that day, Sakura sighed when she realized that she wasn't going to eat anytime soon. She held the folder loosely in her hand and glided over the name of a certain silver haired ninja. Sakura grumbled when she opened the door and looked at the man who was waiting for her on the hospital bed.

"It's nice to see you still manage to flirt with my interns even while wearing hospital gown," the medic said as she looked over his chart.

"This gown is a chick magnet!" Kakashi grinned as he fingered the thin fabric.

"You've landed yourself in the hospital for the third time this month," the medic said.

The silver haired man shrugged, "Tell that to the old lady, she's working me harder than a mule,"

"At least take care of yourself," she chastised, waving a finger at him.

Sakura sighed, "So I'm guessing you want me to heal you quickly so you can bury yourself with more missions?"

Kakashi shook his head, his face scrunched in distaste, "Oh God no! I want you to recommend me a one month recuperation period,"

Sakura nodded knowingly and proceeded to transfer him to one of the prettiest new intern. She knew Kakashi would be pleased.

--

That night, after a hard day at work, the medic went back home to a freshly cooked meal. Looking at the clock, she reached for the apron and put it on. There was insitent knocking on the door, and the all the maids had disappeared. Sighing, she walked toward the large mahogany door. Sakura was taken back by surprise when she saw a pretty blonde standing in front of her. She could feel the woman's eyes on her, scrutinizing her every move. Misao scrunched her nose, and lifted her eyebrows when she noticed the frilly pink apron Sakura was wearing.

"What are you doing here?" the Anbu asked.

The medic noticed the subtle change of expression and smirked. She pulled back a few strands of loose pink hair and straightened the apron.

"Can't you tell? I'm the maid," she answered, gesturing slightly at her appearance.

Sakura tempted to scoff when Misao automatically breathed out a sigh of relief. The blond straightened herself up and the haughty smirk returned to her beautiful face.

"And here I thought you were my rival, that was a silly idea,"

"You don't have to worry, Hyuuga-sama would never give me a second glance. Especially not when you're there," Sakura reassured.

Misao nodded, she laughed as though the whole situation was utterly ridiculous, "And here I was, worried about you, when you're nothing but the help,"

Sakura looked after the Anbu as she exited through the Hyuuga gate. The medic shook her head but then ambled back into the kitchen when she realized that Neji was due to come home.

--

That morning, Misao entered the Academy grounds and as she looked around on the desk, her eyes fell on an interesting piece of paper. As she drew closer, her eyes widened when she realized what it was. It was the scroll Neji had been working on the past few days, and it held all the information of an upcoming recon mission. Curiosity overcame her and the pretty woman inched closer. Her fingers traced along the delicate paper and lifted it up enough to see the names written on it. Sapphire eyes shot up when they saw her name written in perfect hand writing. Next to her name were a few others, including of one Sakura Hyuuga.

Misao drew back, now that she thought about it, she had never once asked about the medic's last name. The Anbu shook her head slightly and laughed at her own indiscretion. It was silly of her for not having seen it sooner.

"What are you doing here?"

Misao turned around, finding herself face to face with the Hyuuga. A head taller than her, he exuded an air of authority. Cool silver eyes looked at her with indifference. The Hyuuga's eyes narrowed in irritation and walked past her when he decided that she wasn't worth his attention.

"Aren't you going to tell me that I'm annoying?" Misao inquired.

"That would mean I see you on the same standard as Sakura," Neji answered simply.

"Why do you care for her so much?" she asked.

"Because she can easily take me for everything I'm worth,"

Upon seeing him leaving, the pretty woman called after the Hyuuga.

"Neji-kun, where are you going?"

"I need to buy some pastries,"

--

Sakura rubbed her eyes and opted to lay her head down on the table. A wave of nausea washed over her, and once again, she realized that she had forgotten to eat. She could clearly feel the aching of her muscles and for the first time in months, finally knew how overworked she was. The throbbing joints and the nausea all served to lull her into some attainable oblivion, and Sakura didn't want to fight it anymore, she closed her eyes.

Shizune knocked on the Hyuuga office and entered when she got no answer. Her dark eyes widened when she saw the pink haired woman slumped over the desk like a broken branch. The medic rushed over to her colleague and proceeded to call for help.

--

The handsome Hyuuga scrunched his nose in distaste when he saw the array of brightly colored cakes and pies. The entire shop was filled with women and he could feel their stares on every part of his being. Never had Neji felt more violated. Biting onto his shreds of dignity, he moved to the front counter where the owner had been eyeing him since the moment of his entrance. She was a fresh young woman, and her lips immediately curved into a smile.

"What can I get you today?" she purred, earning some jealous stares from the surrounding women.

"That," he pointed to a ridiculously decorated multi-layered, pink cake.

"For your mother perhaps?" the brown haired woman asked slyly.

Neji fought a nagging temptation to roll his eyes; instead he opted to tell her flatly, "For my wife,"

An emission of disappointed sighs filled the shop simultaneously but he ignored it and paid for the piece of pastry, which he found to be absurdly expensive. He exited the shop and made his way down the street. The handsome Anbu clicked his tongue in annoyance when he found himself lodged behind a group of Genins on a narrow road.

"How was your medical check up today?" one chubby looking kid said to another.

"Oh it was cancelled," a green haired boy answered, not caring about the note of irritation in his voice.

"What happened?"

"The hospital has been in chaos since this afternoon, after the head medical examiner collapsed,"

They turned around when a loud splattering noise emitted from behind them. The children from the Academy inched closer to the pink substance on the floor.

"What are you doing? Don't eat it," the green haired boy scolded.

"It's cake," his friend answered, and continued after some forethought, "Really good cake."

--

Looking at a small, decrepit old woman looking back at him hopefully, Neji closed the door without an ounce of etiquette. The Anbu cursed under his breath when he realized that the front desk had given him direction to the wrong room. After that, no door was left unopened, and no patient left unseen, the Hyuuga check every single room and back again. The sense of urgency in him did not allow him to slow down for even a nanosecond.

His fingers clasped on the last door and laughed sardonically at the irony fate had bestowed upon him. Neji scoffed; of course she would be behind the last door. The window was open and he could see the silhouette of a woman beneath a thin white sheet. Her pink hair was disheveled and her skin was unnaturally pale.

He came in closer, and as if on cue, emerald eyes fluttered opened and focused on him.

"Aren't you supposed to be planning some upcoming mission?" the medic asked with an air of passiveness.

"Yes," Neji answered quietly, his eyes scanned her face, watching with care for any discomfort that might surface.

"People's lives depend on how well you do your job," she was baiting him; it was a game they would play. But at that particular moment, she knew that victory would feel empty.

"I know," he said submissively.

The Hyuuga mistress widened her green eyes at the docile tone in his voice. It was a turn of event she did not foresee.

"Then what are you doing here?"

"Because you're the only one worth caring for," he answered quickly, half irritated at how far she was pushing.

Sakura looked at the man whom she called her husband. She had prodded him, pushed him, and through some twisted turn of event, she now had the control. She could continue, just to see how far he would go, and watch in perverted mirth at how far he would fall as a result. But she was yellow. Quietly, and with a lack of grace, Sakura withdrew.

"Get out," she said, knowing full well that he would comply.

Without another word, Neji stood up and left the room. When she was finally alone, Sakura laughed bitterly.

Who ever said Sakura Hyuuga didn't understand her husband?

--

tbc-


	3. three

Cliché

By anna

_All general disclaimers apply_

_three_

--

"_I've never once interfered in your personal life," _

"_You never had to; you are my personal life," _

--

Misao snuck a few glances at the woman walking beside her. Her lips twisted in distaste- the Hyuuga mistress really was beautiful. Behind them, a few masked Anbu walked quietly, and the blonde couldn't help but sigh as the old ennui crept over her.

"They don't talk much you see," Sakura said, sensing her teammate's boredom.

"How can you stand it?"

"The same way I stand my husband," she answered indifferently.

"Why did you marry him if you did not love him?" the Anbu asked, her blue eyes settled on the medic.

"Never said I didn't love him,"

"You never said you did either,"

"Pretty and smart, no wonder you made Anbu,"

The medic abruptly stopped and the blonde looked on in confusion. Blue eyes narrowed as the rest of her company suddenly halted.

"Misao, exactly what kind of recon mission is this," Sakura murmured.

"You didn't read?"

"I stopped asking after I realized it never made much of a difference,"

Her hands stumbled inside the small bag hanging leisurely at her side and fished out a small scroll. Sakura watched and couldn't help but sighed when she realized her teammate's inexperience.

"We are just gathering some information about Rain, it's a simple mission."

An Anbu behind grunted as he adjusted his mask, the wooden likeness of a bobcat. He withdrew a large kantana and motioned quietly at another Anbu. The two walked ahead, their trained eyes scanned the area.

"It's about to get a little complicated,"

As if on cue, the two Anbu dropped simultaneously like dead tree stumps, two thin arrows protruded from their backs. Sakura's eyes followed a small green leaf slowly floating down.

"Up,"

Misao nodded and withdrew a small senbon from her side, the blues of her eyes darkened.

"Well well well…. looks like me caught meself a couple of pretty birdies," a raspy voice echoed from the depth of the forest.

Slow footsteps approached, Sakura kept her eyes fixated on the advancing man. He was of short stature, and his back slightly slumped over. Green eyes narrowed when his mouth widened into a wide, distorted grin.

"He's a Sound nin," Misao whispered.

"Stand down, Kisare," a deep male voice commanded.

Sakura tried her best to compose herself, but the nagging feeling of her heart was making that frustratingly difficult. He was as handsome as ever.

"Sasuke-kun,"

"You can have the blonde, but the pretty one is all mine," he smirked.

"Under no circumstances are you to tell Neji what happened," Sakura instructed lowly, she leapt up beckoning for the Uchiha to follow.

"I guess it's just you and me now birdie," Kisare grinned.

--

Sakura grunted in disgust when she realized how vastly outmatched she was. Sasuke smirked as if he too, understood her sudden comprehension. He was merely humoring her, but the Uchiha couldn't help but admit that it was getting increasingly difficult to maintain this game he was playing. She had gotten stronger, he knew as he dodged a close punch. The waves of wind caused by the disturbance were strong enough to have made a small cut on his cheek.

When they pulled apart, his eyes trailed along her body. From the determined green orbs down to her heaving breasts.

"You're the first woman in years to have been able to draw blood," he said.

"Don't I feel special," she said, noticing that it was getting progressively harder to stand straight.

"You should,"

Her heart began to beat faster as he approached. The wind played lightly with his dark bangs, lifting it just enough so she could see the intensity of his eyes. When he drew closer, her breathing became more and more labored.

"Your hair looks soft," a calloused finger touched her pink hair.

Her body was on the verge of collapsing, and when his fingers grew tired of her hair and descended down to her face, her heart was beating loud enough for both to hear. His lips lightly trailed across her cheekbone and settled on hers. The pressure and intensity of his lips made her senses withdrew to oblivion.

Sasuke roughly pushed her against a tree, his quick fingers undid the zipper of her dress. The red dress slid down sensuously, revealing a pair of pert breasts. His fingers still intertwined in her hair, his lips now moved close to her ears.

Before she knew it, she was on the ground. Her back ached with the sudden impact. Sakura's arms extended to bring him closer to her, her breathing became rasp until it seemed like the act of breathing made it hard to breath.

"I'll give you the kind of pleasure Neji could never give you,"

_Neji_

Green eyes fluttered opened. When he reached down to kiss her, her lips no longer responded. The medic felt control over her body again, and her green eyes searched for his dark ones.

"I love you enough to let you, but do you love me enough to stop." Sakura whispered.

She laid there, feeling the dull thumps of her heart. Green eyes searched within the depths of scarlet; his head slightly bent over, letting the long bangs obstruct her view of his face. Without another word, he walked away.

The day was ending and the dark veil in the sky was becoming more apparent. Sakura settled herself on a tree stump and mused a little when she realized that Misao must have gotten back to Leaf Village.

--

The sharp intake of breath made his head hurt, silver eyes trained on liquid blue and held their gaze.

"Where is my wife?" she had told him the minute she got back, but he felt the need to ask her again.

"There were two men," Misao said simply.

"_Under no circumstances are you to tell Neji what happened,"_

"Sakura chased after the other one, I waited for her but she did not return,"

Naruto stood up and walked toward Neji, giving his colleague and reassuring pat on the shoulder.

"Was he a missing nin?" the tall blond man asked.

"It appeared so," Misao lowered her eyes.

Neji felt the hand on his shoulder tightened, turning slightly, he could see Naruto turning pale and had no doubt that his own face was also a subject to color changes.

"Our intelligence is still unable to locate their whereabouts, I'll tell you the minute I have any information," the pretty woman said and respectfully left the room.

--

Naruto opened his door to reveal a pretty woman sitting on his chair. Her hair was wet and smelled faintly of his shampoo. The blond breathed a sigh of relief and approached the gorgeous apparition not far from him. A small smile erupted on his face when he came closer, the proximity between them enabled his eyes to glide over every curves. Her head was tilted and rested comfortably over the cushioned chair, the white gown she wore fell sensuously over her right shoulder.

A tentative hand extended, reaching to touch her skin. But the blond drew back; for years, he had imagined the contact of her skin. He had imagined its silky softness, its fine texture, but now with his finger tracing her lines, he was left utterly disappointed. The rawness of her skin shattered all illusions.

"I tried to wash it all off," she muttered, green eyes fluttered opened.

A million "it" flashed through his mind. Dirt? Blood? Guilt? Shame?

She brought her hand up and scrutinized them in great interest.

"They're pruny," she said simply.

"What happened during the mission Sakura," Naruto asked.

The medic looked up and for the first time in two years, Naruto saw the tears in her eyes. The greenness was overshadowed by red. Instinctively, his two strong arms encircled her small waist and held her close. The small couch barely had enough room for two but at the moment, it was far from being uncomfortable.

"You know I'm in love with you, so it's difficult to watch you cry to me about another man, but for tonight, and tonight only, I'll be your friend,"

She scoffed and buried her face in his shirt; it was such a cliché.

--

Neji looked at the table clock and note it was 8 o'clock, as if on cue his door creaked open and a maid entered. Used to habit, he closed the book and got up, his hand reaching for the green towel on the way out.

"Hyuuga-sama…"

The aforementioned man stopped immediately, his eyes widened, he threw the green towel aside carelessly.

"What is it," he asked curtly.

"You have a visitor, Hyuuga-sama,"

Behind her, a young woman revealed herself. Without waiting for an invitation, Misao entered and closed the door behind her.

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

"I wanted to tell you what really happened during the mission," the blonde said, her piercing blue eyes fastened on his. The thin shirt she was wearing crinkled with every movement. Misao scanned the room and nodded lightly, so this was where the Hyuuga spend their nights. The two separate beds caught her attention and she tried hard not to laugh. It was laughable, this marriage.

"What do you mean?"

"About the missing nin,"

"Do you know him?" Neji asked, his lazy apathy was turning into genuine interest.

"Enough to know you don't want your wife anywhere near him,"

The brunette raised and eyebrow, there was only one man he could think of.

"She called him Sasuke," she said, watching the colors drained from the Anbu. She was enjoying herself, it's not considered damage if the marriage was already destroyed.

The Hyuuga scoffed, he wasn't even sure if he was allowed to be jealous. Over their two years of marriage, countless of affairs must have taken place. They were nothing more than instant gratification, temporary relief to their otherwise colorless marriage. Sasuke was the only man his wife ever loved, and for the first time, the Hyuuga truly felt betrayed.

"I did some research on Sasuke Uchiha," Misao continued

"Does it make you angry knowing that Sakura probably…. Spent some time with him?" her voice dropped to a soft purr. White finger traced along the Anbu's hard jaw line, he was the most handsome man she'd ever seen. Her smirk widened when the Hyuuga finally pushed her down on his bed.

--

tbc-


	4. four

Cliché

By anna

_All general disclaimers apply_

_four_

--

Sakura was feeling jaded.

Tugging lightly at black fabric that was clinging fabulously to her body, she moved forward. Her mind passively noted her lack of agility and grace. Maybe she wasn't in her right mind, but she hasn't been right for the past two years. Her eyebrows furrowed when she noticed how guarded the Academy was. The odd heightened security was obvious, however, when she realized that this was the newest batch of Anbu. The pink haired medic stole past an inexperienced guard and proceeded to walk across the hall with ease. Her pleasant stroll was cut short when a more seasoned Anbu member suddenly appeared. Sakura clicked her tongue in annoyance when she realized that this was going to be more difficult than she had thought.

She wondered why she thought kidnapping the Anbu captain would be easy.

The medic lifted an eyebrow and with a swift punch, knocked an oncoming jonin unconscious. Pushing the door lightly opened, she breathed inwardly when it made no sound. She smiled lightly when she saw her husband industriously documenting the last mission. He was always incredibly punctual when it came to paperwork, an annoying trait she always hated.

The Hyuuga's pencil broke and he closed his eyes when the familiar cold blade pressed against his neck. The room was still and he could feel his wife's heart beating lightly in her breasts. Despite the irony of the situation, Neji couldn't help but noted how intimately her body draped over his.

The quiet spell of the room quickly dissipated when the door was roughly kicked open. A group of Anbu entered, weapons unsheathed.

"Put down those kunai or I'll kill the Hyuuga," she commanded coldly, her green eyes scanned across the team of Anbu.

He sighed calmly and tested his mobility inside her loose hold. His men were looking back at him nervously, their fingers refused to let go of their weapons. They were immature and he could tell Sakura knew it too from the way she was tracing the cold blade along his neck lazily.

"Hurt her, and I'll kill you," he commanded with irritation.

With a pretty smile, Sakura tugged the Hyuuga awkwardly and he complied. They walked past the team of Anbu who followed their movements quietly. The door to the office closed with a small click.

--

Naruto held a piece of paper tightly within his fingers and clicked his tongue in slight annoyance. When he woke up that morning, Sakura had disappeared, and he knew her first stop had to be to the Hyuuga. Not that her visiting preferences had anything to do with the blonde, but there was a nasty rumor floating around about a certain Anbu and his late night rendezvous. He practically broke the door opened, mentally prepared for a one-sided tirade with the brunette. Blue eyes looked around in slight confusion, his eyes landed on a group of newbies who appeared mildly stunned.

"Where's Neji?"

"The Anbu Captain has been kidnapped," one man behind the bobcat mask answered, the voice sounded strangely immature.

"How the hell did that happen?"

--

Neji looked around the small room in mild curiosity. It was a simple enclosure with no windows, and it felt strangely out of place on hospital ground.

"You don't look so surprised," she asked. Her fingers ran through her hair, persuading a sense of sensuous idleness.

"I wasn't worried, I knew you were with Naruto," he answered, after a few seconded, decided to elaborate, "He called me last night,"

"Oh?" her pretty mouth curved into a delicious pout.

"I told him to take care of you, feed you, water you, and give you plenty of sunlight,"

"How considerate, did you tell him that before or after you slept with your subordinate," her spell of girlish naïveté dissipated.

"_Does it make you angry knowing that Sakura probably… Spent some time with him?" _

"During," he answered indifferently.

A fluttering expression of disapproval crossed her face, followed by a light scoff.

"Don't twist your face like that, you look almost ugly," Neji said, his fingers traced along her admittedly beautiful face, down to her ivory neck and settled on the upper part of her arm.

His wife flashed a charming smile settled herself comfortably on his lap, her right arm draped luxuriously over his shoulder.

"I noticed that the new batch of Anbu is awfully adorable," Sakura said, her lips pressed lightly against his skin.

"What are you saying?"

"Here is what's going to happen, you won't know who, and you won't know when. But I will have an affair with one of your colleagues. Then we will be even and I'll file a divorce,"

--

She twitched when the sensation of pain washed over her. Blue eyes fastened on her arm in fascination as she watched the wound on her skin closed.

"If I'd known you were hurt during the mission, I would have healed you. I'm sorry for my oversight," Sakura apologized, her voice noticeably hollow.

Misao sighed, she wasn't exactly sure how to feel. Whatever it was, it was probably not remorse.

"I know you slept with my husband," the medic said, the tone of her voice conveyed a sense of idle gossip.

"It happened last night," the blonde answered, matching the Hyuuga's callousness.

As Sakura turned to leave, her fingers twisting the door knob open, Misao couldn't help but called after her.

"He threw me out of bed the second Naruto called and said you were alright,"

After that, Misao definitely felt no remorse.

--

Neji scanned across the faces of the men who were present, the Hokage's voice fading in the background. He scoffed indifferently, it wasn't anything important. The Hyuuga narrowed his silver eyes when they landed on a relatively well built man. He shook his head in disapproval; Sakura didn't like men with mustaches.

"Tsunade-sama," a dark haired man inquired.

"Yes Shakun,"

Their conversation faded out of his conscious as the Anbu captain proceeded to stare menacingly at the folder in front of him.

"Neji, Neji?"

"Hmm?" he looked up to see the Fifth Hokage's disapproving façade.

"Do you agree with the proposal?"

"Yes," he answered passively, although he had no idea what happened in the last 40 minutes.

--

Sakura chewed on her pen lightly, she breathed out in annoyance when she realized that her patient was 10 minutes late. The Hyuuga tapped the table quickly, she stopped when her nails began to hurt.

The doors creaked opened and the woman glared at the newcomer with her pretty green eyes. He had boyish charms that seemed ridiculously out of place. There wasn't anything particularly eye-catching, his hair was a common brown and his eyes a common blue. When he smiled, it was another perfect boring smile of a charming boy.

"You're late," she said simply.

"I'm sorry, the Anbu meeting ran a little late," the young man apologized, but his smile betrayed the tone of his voice. Sakura noticed he had a little dimple on his left cheek and concluded that he was just the kind of boy to break pretty little girls' hearts. It was all so typical, everything about him.

"Just sit there," she commanded in dull irritation, her eyes scanned the piece of paper in front of her, "… Shakun-san"

The boy obliged; the mattress of the hospital bed bounced lightly when he sat on it. From that vantage point, he could see the medic and the angry vibes that were unmistakably emitting from her. He had only seen her a few times before, but she hardly ever noticed him. The medic was occasionally seen with his captain, and he sometimes managed to catch a glimpse of her pink hair around the Academy.

"Where did you get this wound?" she gestured to a particularly nasty gash on his upper back.

He winced when she applied the cotton, "You don't remember? I accompanied you on the last mission,"

"This might hurt," Sakura said and proceeded on healing her patient.

"You've healed me once before," the Anbu reassured, "But I guess you really don't remember me, that's too bad, I always thought you were beautiful,"

"And I've always thought you were another one of my husband's lackeys,"

"Husband?" he repeated dumbly, his blue eyes widened in surprise.

"Neji Hyuuga,"

He scoffed mirthlessly, so that was why he often saw her with the Anbu captain.

"Well… isn't this awkward," Shakun chuckled, "The one time I decide to talk to the woman I've had a crush on for months, and I find out she's married to my captain."

"Tell me if it stings too much," she said, disregarding his obvious flirtations.

"No wonder he chose you for his wife,"

At that comment, Sakura stopped. She looked down at the half naked young Anbu on the hospital bed.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"I'm just saying that the Captain has good tastes… that's all," Shakun chuckled lightly.

"You mean he chose me because I resemble him. We both lack human emotions, egotists, and have our heads up our asses," Sakura said bluntly.

"Those are cold things to say about your husband,"

Sakura shrugged indifferently, the bounce of her shoulder created a frenzy of pink locks, "If you know him well, you wouldn't disagree."

"Hyuuga-sama often bypasses me; I'm usually given the menial missions, if any at all. To him, I'm just an invisible subordinate who's always the back-up." His wide smile softened, and the dimple became shallow. Sakura curled her lips in satisfaction, now he was getting more interesting.

"I guess we need to change the way he perceives you then,"

"Hmm?" his eyes widened.

"I'm saying, you're a pretty good looking kid, and you do have a pulse… how would you like to finally get on my husband's radar?" she slowly unbuttoned the white hospital coat, revealing the top half of her perfect breasts, "you still have that crush on me, don't you?"

--

Neji drew back slightly when a flutter of papers was slammed in front of him with massive force. The brunette looked up to see a pretty woman, her lips curved into a haughty smile.

"Divorce papers," Sakura said simply.

Quietly, he turned the aforementioned papers one by one… change in priorities…. Irreparable differences….

Those were what she cited as reasons for divorce. The Anbu chuckled dryly; he supposed they were a lot more socially acceptable than "infidelity".

"Who was it?" he asked rhetorically, musing about all the possible answers. If he knew the son of a bitch who touched her…

"A newbie," the medic answered passively, her fingers tapped against her waist in slight impatience.

"I'll give you your divorce," he said, his right hand reaching for the pen.

For a few seconds, the room was deathly silent except for a few scratches that made up his signature. The Anbu got out of his chair and walked around the large mahogany table over to her. She was slightly shorter, giving him the vantage point of looking down at her. He extended his arm, holding the damned papers. Sakura's eyes caught his gaze and she began to reach forward.

Neji's other hand caught hers, and impulsively drew her toward him. His lips caught hers and the stack of papers was dropped to the floor when the Hyuuga's hands became entangled in her pink hair. Sakura's body instinctively closed the small space between them, she opened her mouth almost wantonly and let his tongue continued its ministrations.

His lips parted from hers and began their journey to her earlobe. Neji whispered hoarsely, her body shivered at the selfish tone that was on his tongue, "I don't like knowing another man touched you,"

Silver eyes glanced up at the door quickly and were satisfied that it was locked. Neji's left hand untangled itself from her hair and traveled down her back, bringing the zipper down with it. The dress slid down easily and he could feel her hot skin against his palm.

"I didn't stay with her the whole night," he began, his tone was apologetic.

When his fingers glided to the small of her back, her body convulsively arched up and gave itself to him willingly. The hypnotic movements of her delicious curves demanded his attention, guided the sensuous nature that was in him, molded his very body around her. Her flesh was a revelation.

His honor had not allowed him the luxury of touching her body the way he was doing now. It did not let his lips roam over the nook of her neck. When she slept, he had allowed himself to look at her, the subtle rise and fall of her breasts underneath the light blanket. He had loved her because she was his responsibility; it was his obligation to care for her. Neji did not remember when responsibility coalesced with lust, and lust with love.

The rise and fall of her breasts weren't so subtle now; her chest heaved and collided lusciously underneath his weight.

"I hate people who lie and then end up telling the truth," she said, "If you're going to lie, lie to the end… I did."

He wanted to touch her- he did. He wanted to kiss her- the taste of her lips on his proved that he did. He wanted to possess her- he did that too. Or she possessed him, he wasn't so sure anymore.

When her body quivered in pain, he knew what she meant. She did lie, even when the curtain fell on their marriage.

His wife had never once been unfaithful to him. Her body was immaculate and in the end it was still Neji who ruined her.

The Anbu smiled ironically, because as he drove their bodies to oblivion he knew it was Sakura who possessed him after all.

--

"What do you think you're doing?" Neji asked, a sliver of anger laced in his tone.

"Getting another copy, you don't expect me giving the judge these papers after we did _that_,did you?" Sakura answered as-a-matter-of-factly.

Silver eyes narrowed in confusion, she really was going to leave him. Even after he made love to her, she was honestly going to give up. Noticing his irritation, the medic walked over and leaned down at the man who was sitting on the large desk. She drew forward and kissed him lightly on the lips.

"Luckily, the page of your signature is still intact. Everything should be finalized within a week," straightening out the wrinkles of her dress, Sakura left the captain's office.

As she walked toward the exit of the Academy, her ears registered vaguely the crashing sounds of destroyed concrete.

The large door closed with a dull thump, Sakura breathed out in relief as the ugly complacency lifted off her chest. Their daily schedule was finally free from the circuitous cliché of endless betrayals and uncomfortable formality. But she was mostly relieved because she knew their second time will be better.

--

_2 years later_

"Did you ever fall back in love with her?" a small child whispered and let out a small yawn.

Her father chuckled and nodded.

"Sari, your mother is the only woman I would marry twice,"

The Hyuuga smiled and pulled the blanket up over his small child. Smoothing her dark brown hair lightly, he watched as the small green eyes finally closed.

--

End.


End file.
